More than half of sheriff's deputies made more than $100,000 in 2007, pay propelled in large part by overtime and premium pay packages.

An Orange County Register investigation into the department's finances has found that these swelling salaries largely rest on the notion that it’s cheaper to pay deputies overtime than to hire new recruits.

A look at the payroll data offers readers details of individual salaries earned throughout contract cities as well as at the county’s five main jail facilities.

Over the past decade, Orange County officials transformed the post of sheriff's deputy into a six-figure job based on the belief that overtime was cheaper than hiring new officers.

The department's reliance on overtime enabled most of its sworn officers to earn more than $100,000 in 2007. More than 100 earned over $150,000.

That cost $41.7 million in overtime, on top of the $318 million the county spent on deputy salaries, health insurance and retirement benefits. The overall budget and salaries have doubled since 1997, but overtime expenditures have tripled.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson defended the spending, saying overtime is 9 percent cheaper than hiring additional deputies and paying their salary and retirement. The department says overtime saved it $9.7 million last year.

"What you can't negate is the fact that you are actually saving money," Anderson said. "Overtime is cheaper than paying full salary and benefits."

But a Register analysis of payroll records, public documents and extensive interviews has found that:

•The department calculated its "savings" using the salary and overtime rates of the most expensive deputies. If the department had assigned new deputies to work even half of the overtime accrued by deputy sheriff II's in the jails, it could have saved more than $500,000 per year. If officials had replaced half of jail deputies with more basic law enforcement officers - such as special officers or correctional officers - they could have saved as much as $10million.

•Policies allowing deputies to work a three-day workweek and to retire early have dramatically boosted overtime costs. After enhanced pensions led to large numbers of retirements, deputies with four days a week off were happy to fill up the empty shifts with overtime.

•The huge amount of extra hours and the large payouts have contributed to culture and discipline problems in the department, especially at county jails. Despite the six-figure earnings, some deputies slacked off on the job. Now, efforts by sheriff's officials to transfer deputies out of jail assignments and into patrol jobs have fueled union grievances and lawsuits.

Last year, the Orange County Sheriff's Department spent about 12 percent of its salary budget on overtime. That's similar to the overtime percentage paid by Los Angeles County, which is the largest sheriff's department in the nation.

But Orange County's overtime spending is higher than similar-sized departments. San Diego and Ventura, for instance, spent about 9 percent of their salary budget on overtime.

Because of conflicting responses from sheriff's officials about whether the cost of overtime vs. new hires had ever been studied, the Register filed a request under the California Public Records Act asking for copies of any internal studies. That triggered a different response.

"There have been no overtime studies conducted as described," Capt. Mike James replied in a May 15 letter.

"Overtime has become a part of the culture of the public safety folks," county CEO Tom Mauk said in an interview.

"(But) the notion that overtime is cheaper than hiring more deputies is just a best guess. It needs to be carefully analyzed."

County officials across Southern California balance their budgets by keeping unfilled positions on their books.

That's how sheriff's officials can say that excessive overtime spending doesn't matter because they stay within their budget. If those officials removed the vacant positions from the budget, the sheriff's departments would go over budget virtually every year.

A new Orange County sheriff, former Los Angeles County Sheriff's division chief Sandra Hutchens, was appointed by the board Tuesday and will take office in the next few weeks. Hutchens has promised to conduct an immediate review of departmental operations.

Whether the overtime payouts are good policy or bad, deputies are worth every dollar, said Wayne J. Quint Jr., a sheriff's sergeant who is president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.

The expansion of the Theo Lacy jail in Orange was staffed by overtime. Lacy deputies include some of the highest earners in the department. Register File Photo
OT SIGNUPS: Simon Kim, a retired deputy with the Orange County Sheriff Department, displays a sheet for deputies to sign up for overtime shifts LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Acting Orange County Sheriff Jack Anderson speaks with reporters last month. File photo by Eugene Garcia, The Orange County Register
Inmates head back to their cells after playing softball at the Theo Lacy jail. Photo by: Eugene Garcia / The Orange County Register

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